The Chicago Cubs have now won three straight contests against the Milwaukee Brewers, all in rather convincing fashion.
Today, Jake Arrieta takes the mound, looking to complete the four-game sweep.
Chicago Cubs Lineup v. Milwaukee Brewers (Zach Davies):
- Matt Szczur, CF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Ben Zobrist, RF
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jorge Soler, LF
- Wilson Contreras, C
- Javy Baez, 2B
- Jake Arrieta, P
[adinserter block=”1″] [adinserter block=”10″]
I stand by my title, here, because this is certainly one seriously fun lineup. Today, we’ll get to see Javy Baez at second base, Willson Contreras behind the plate, Jorge Soler in left field, and Matt Szczur in center … all on a day when Jake Arrieta is starting.
Until recently, Contreras had not yet been trusted/ready to catch Jake Arrieta, with each of his starts instead getting handed over to veteran Miguel Montero instead. But with a big divisional lead, a three-game winning streak, and (presumably) some visible improvement behind the dish, Joe Maddon is giving it a shot.
The benefit of getting Contreras in their behind the plate, of course, is that it allows each of Baez, Soler, and Contreras to get in as starters on days when Arrieta is pitching. In the playoffs, that might be especially important. Perhaps this is the beginning of the testing phase.
We’ll have a full Pre-Gamin’ for you closer to game time.[adinserter block=”2″]